Firstly a big hello, i`ve had a look around your forum and it looks great. I`ve recently sold my Supra Twin Turbo and am now looking for some extra kicks. I`m presently looking at purchasing a Mk1 MR2 purely for trackday use.
My question concerns the bodykit. I`m intending on completely stripping the interior, dash, spare, washer bottles and everything like that to lighten it as best i can. But if i were to remove all the bodykit and rear spoiler is it going to upset the handling? I doubt the car will ever reach more than 100 mph on any of the tracks i`m thinking of running it on, so would the full removal of the bodykit upset the handling or is it best to leave it on? Has anyone ever tried this? Many thanks.

I read the spoiler creates low pressure over the engine which aids the flow of air over the engine and increases cooling. Id leave it be.

Sounds like a good point but equally i have seen the odd one in Japan without. I wonder if you jack the hatch above the engine up by 10mm along the opening edge it would have the same effect by creating a draw of air through the engine compartment?

BTW, what year car is it? if its an 87+ then if you take the front splitter off they look bloody awful as that hides an area that had a steel panel on the earlier cars... so you'll get a kind of nasty hole (an unpleasant condition, so I'm told!).

I read the spoiler creates low pressure over the engine which aids the flow of air over the engine and increases cooling. Id leave it be.

Yeah, the transparent spoiler above the rear window (with Toyota written on it) is designed to help channel the airflow off the rear of the cabin and then directly down on to the central area of the main spoiler at the rear of the car. In so doing so the vast majority of the wind flow completely skips over the engine bay lid area and so creates a negative air pressure above the engine lid. This then encourages air to be drawn up from beneath the car and up through the engine bay and out of the open slats on the engine bay lid and so helping cooling the engine. Tell you what, these Toyota engineers, they ainít daft!

During the 80ís my Dad had close links with Toyota dealers through his job - I still remember seeing the promotional literature when the car was launched when I was a kid. In this lit they had some photos of the MK1 wind tunnel testing and there was a side on shot showing the airflow doing just this. I was well impressed

COOOL!!!! Thats 'em! Wow, blast from the past there! I seem to remember one a bit more side on which is where my Dad pointed out this negative pressure thing above the engine bay lid? Or it might just have been the picture at the top and the 20 years since have fogged my memories Either way, you can still see the clear spoiler above the rear window doing itís job directing the air straight on to the main spoiler at the back.

If you still have not bought a MKI, look for the early (1a) Pre '87 without body kit (as pictured above in Limey's post) also have a moon roof (sun roof) rather than T-Bars and are already slightly lighter than the 1a/b's with OEM body kits and T-Bars.

As far as rear spoiler is concerned, IMO it would not alter air-flow through the engine bay if removed as air is taken into the engine bay from the underside of the car. Air moving over the roof creates a "vaccume" over the the engine bay lid thus drawing air up from under the car (if that makes sense...). This is also where the whole concept of bunny ears (air scoops) breaks apart.
The spoiler itself I'd imagine only ads to downforce - and being RWD, it's quite important (unlike some chaved up hatch backs with bi-plane wings stuck on with pritstick )

O.k guys, i think i`ll leave the kit on and look at saving weight from other places. The interior and dash will be coming out so that will weigh a bit. Anyone know the best place to get a rollcage from for a Mk1?